ALBANY — A national organization, which the New York State Nurses Association helped found three years ago, is now suing the state group, seeking delinquent membership dues and other payments.

The National Federation of Nurses, formed in 2009 by the state nurses union and unions from five other states, filed sued last week in U.S. District Court in Albany. It seeks $609,000 in overdue membership dues, another $228,000 in withdrawal and disaffiliation charges, the equivalent of three months of dues. It also seeks unspecified additional amounts to cover attorneys' fees and other costs.

The suit was filed last Friday, one day after members of the state association voted overwhelmingly for changes that Bernie Mulligan, its communications director, said would make the union "more open and democratic."

The changes, which the state association said passed by "huge margins," included replacing the CEO title with that of executive director, and permitting only rank-and-file nurses to serve on the association board.

The state association plans to push for what it calls "safe staffing" legislation that would set nurse-to-patient ratios.

"This is a fight for the lives of our patients," said Anne Bove, president of the association unit at Health and Hospitals Corp. in New York City. "We are nurses. We see it every day: Safe staffing saves lives."

The decision to stop paying dues, according to the national federation, was made by the state association's newly elected board. That board also fired the CEO.

"We're not commenting" on the suit, Mulligan said. "When it's settled, we'll be glad to speak about it."

"We feel like we were wrongfully suspended," Mulligan said. "We appealed that decision and lost."

He declined to say what led to the suspension, referring questions to the American Nurses Association.

A spokeswoman said the state association had been suspended for one year back in December for violating the national's bylaws and "engaging in dual unionism," basically assisting a rival union in taking over as the bargaining unit or by helping a labor organization's rival.

The new board last October had brought in an interim executive director that the American Nurses Association said had ties to National Nurses United, which the ANA said had previously "raided" bargaining units from affiliated state associations.

The state association called the charges at the time "outrageous and legally baseless."

But relations with the ANA remain strained. Mulligan said Wednesday it wasn't supporting the push for stronger nurse-patient staffing ratios, the state association's top priority.